Welcome!

Welcome to the Opening Days website and the Willamette community! We are delighted to introduce you to the Opening Days program, commonly known on campus as OD. This website will help you navigate the Opening Days schedule, including the list of activities, and find information regarding specific details about the program as well as the OD Leaders, staff, and Leadership Team.

Opening Days is not your ordinary orientation program, rather it is a direct reflection of Willamette as a whole. Willamette students on Leadership Team develop and run Opening Days with the support of Willamette staff. The program offers an introduction to various aspects of campus life for first year, transfer, and international students, to make sure everyone has the knowledge and confidence to succeed at Willamette.

Fully welcoming and acclimating you to our community requires introducing you to the academics and resources here. During Opening Days, first-year students will begin with College Colloquium, a freshman seminar course designed to guide you through the academic transition to Willamette based on a topic of your preference. Your Colloquium classmates will be your fellow OD group members. Furthermore, we hope to introduce you to the vast resources Willamette offers you. This includes Academic Support, library and technology (WITS) resources, Bishop Wellness Center, and much more.

Families and friends, we are thrilled to welcome you as well. In addition to welcoming you, we want to answer all of your questions and make you feel as comfortable as possible. Thursday and Friday will be busy days with settling in, activities, and providing information, but we are eager to help!

We have worked extremely hard to make this program as fulfilling and enjoyable as possible. Our enthusiastic and knowledgeable OD Leaders and meticulous Leadership Team are dedicated to provide you and your families an unforgettable and impactful experience. Over the summer, you will receive more information about our program and your Leaders, who will contact you prior to your arrival to welcome you and answer any questions. We hope to begin building connections that will last beyond Opening Days and into your time here at Willamette.

This website has an assortment of information to help make the journey to Salem and the transition into Opening Days easier. You will find the Leader Profiles, the program itinerary, helpful information regarding transportation and lodging in Salem, and much more! During the program this website will contain the most recent and updated information.

On behalf of the 2015 Opening Days community, we hope you have a wonderful year and we are very excited to welcome you home to Willamette in August!

Striving to provide a personal experience

By placing students in groups of 10-15 other incoming students which are facilitated by two student leaders. The groups serve as a safe environment where students are encouraged to make connections with one another in a setting outside the classroom.